Boom!!!
In the sky above, a massive black hole appeared once more, separating black and golden beams of light.
With eyes ablaze, Alseth spread all eighteen of his wings wide, and his destructive divine power surged to an even greater peak. With a roar, Alseth tore through the space, charging once again toward Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon.
This exhilarating feeling was the first time he truly felt the meaning of battle. As the manifestation of the strongest force in this world, Alseth had never faced an evenly matched opponent. Even when he fought the strongest of the dragonkind, End Dragon Hati-Rem, it had only taken a light punch to reduce one of the most powerful beings, capable of rivaling gods, to ashes.
Yet now, here was someone who could face him head-on even when he burned his divine essence to return to his peak state. This was making his long-dormant spirit burn fiercely for the first time.
Alseth punched another massive hole in the sky, his gaze fixed on the golden barrier blocking his way once more. He swung his fist forward with a deafening crack.
Crack!
Watching the frenzied Alseth in front of him, Rex Lapis raised his head and looked at the sky, now torn apart, and at the dead, desolate land beneath his feet, devastated by the war of the gods. He sighed gently.
"The one who possesses the element of rock, it shall guide all directions as its foundation."
Raising his hand, Rex Lapis conjured a rock spear, looking calmly at Alseth as he spoke: "You are indeed a pure War God, but it is exactly because of your purity that this world has become like this."
"The future world will belong to all living beings, not to those who call themselves gods but have no responsibility, who wield great power recklessly."
Throwing the rock spear, Rex Lapis watched as the massive spear, as large as a mountain range, struck Alseth, saying solemnly, "True gods are not like you!"
Boom!
"Is that so? Then come!"
Shattering the spear on his body with a single punch, amidst the countless falling fragments, Alseth's golden eyes looked up to see Rex Lapis conjuring countless rock spears above once again. He laughed loudly, "Morax! Come, defeat me, the strongest being, and carve your principles deep into my divine essence! Hahaha!"
"I am War God Alseth! The mightiest being of this realm, the embodiment of war, hatred, and the spirit of battle. Born as the strongest, conceived as divine."
"In this world, I have no equal, and everything follows my will!"
"If you wish to imprint your beliefs onto me, then come and defeat me, Morax! Only the victor is the king!"
"But you have already lost."
Rex Lapis, holding the Vortex Vanquisher, hurled another massive rock spear, calmly saying to the War God Alseth below, "You've already been defeated by the children of humanity once."
"Ah, I have been defeated once. But still…"
Once more, Alseth shattered the incoming spear with a powerful punch, his face showing hearty laughter. "The strong will not fall because of one defeat. Those humans showed me their power, their wisdom, their determination! So, I acknowledge them. The throne of the one true god… I shall leave it to them."
"As for why I still remain now, it is simply to enjoy a battle against a strong opponent like I've never had before!"
"Is that so?"
Lifting his spear, Rex Lapis pointed it at Alseth, the golden light shining brightly.
"I recognize you as a worthy opponent, so allow me to end this for you."
"Stone Rain!"
Rock spears that blotted out the sky rained down, each one as vast as a mountain, enveloping Alseth. Rex Lapis, wrapped in a golden shield, turned into a ray of golden light and charged toward Alseth.
Clenching his fists, Alseth's golden eyes pierced through the falling rock spears as he unleashed a punch with all his strength.
All the rock spears above turned to nothingness. As Rex Lapis approached, Alseth clenched both his fists and aimed them directly upwards.
The constant tearing of the sky produced resounding booms that echoed throughout, as countless spears, either whole or shattered, fell to the ground below.
Hiroshi held Klee in his arms, sitting atop a green mountain. His jaw dropped as he stared at the giant spears, which seemed to reach the clouds, dumbfounded by the massive energy fluctuations coming from outer space. Hiroshi silently held Klee tighter.
At that moment, only Klee's soft, small body could bring him some sense of warmth and gentleness.
Beside him, Infinity watched Hiroshi's actions and pulled Luo Xiaohei into his arms, holding him close.
Bane looked at both of them, then glanced at Aqua, who immediately backed far away. Bane clicked his tongue, closed his eyes, deciding that seeing nothing would ease his mind.
"Firm as jade, unyielding in its splendor."
High above, Rex Lapis summoned a pillar that reached the sky. A flash of golden light, and Alseth, who had rushed in, was sent flying once again.
Seeing the dim fire in Alseth's eyes, Rex Lapis raised his spear toward the sky.
"Let me send you off on your final journey."
"The eternal shield, unwavering against all reason."
A golden starlight appeared at the tip of Rex Lapis' spear. From the sky, a massive celestial stone, seemingly composed of countless rocks, descended, enveloping Alseth.
"Heavenly Descent."
With his divine power gradually weakening, Alseth raised his head, looking up at the celestial star imbued with Geo energy descending upon him. Laughing, he shouted:
"I am War God Alseth!"
With the last bit of divine essence burned, all eighteen wings fully spread, Alseth clenched his fists, delivering a final punch toward the colossal celestial stone.
Amid the fragments of the shattered celestial stone, Alseth looked at Rex Lapis, who was still surrounded by his barrier, and laughed weakly: "You turtle shell…"
Small specks of light began appearing on his body. Alseth looked at Zhongli with a smile and said: "Next time, when I awaken, let's fight to our fullest again."
He lowered his head, looking at his followers, the winged ones who gazed up at him with unwavering loyalty. Alseth shook his head and laughed, "Responsibility, huh?"
"Your next mission is to seek out the reasons for my defeat. Until I awaken again, live freely in this new world."
Raising his head to the sky, looking at the fading beams of the Spirit Corridor, Alseth disappeared completely.
"Defeated twice, huh? Haha."
Retrieving the Vortex Vanquisher, Rex Lapis laughed and shook his head. "When next time comes, I will no longer be the Geo Archon. But if you still want a fight, I'll be ready to oblige."
Looking down, amid the fading starlight, Riku held a massive crystal artifact in his hands, filled with the highest authority of this world.
With golden eyes observing the children of humanity who had defeated the strongest god, Rex Lapis smiled and said, "Now, I can rest assured."
Down below, Kazuma held Megumin, still in awe. He said, "We almost failed… it scared me to death."
"Thank goodness Megumin and the others arrived in time."
With relief, Shirou Emiya nodded and sighed, "It seems Hiroshi and the others got quite hurt."
"Among us, it was only Xiaohei and Hiroshi whose attributes were suitable for creating a pure new world."
Regretfully shaking his head, Kazuma looked at the dissipating beams in the sky and said, "Otherwise, I also would have liked to fight the divine being."
"Did you plan this all along?!"
Slapping Kazuma on the chest, Megumin glared angrily at him.
Kazuma laughed awkwardly and said decisively, "It was Hiroshi's idea, nothing to do with me! I never planned to hide it from everyone!"
"Hmph!"
Turning her head away, Megumin ignored Kazuma, glancing at Wugeng Liuli disappearing into the horizon. She sighed softly.